The City of Richmond Heights mosquito fogging program will take place every Wednesday through September beginning at sundown. Staying indoors during the application is recommended.
This is exciting news for people who grew up in the 1960s.
That was the golden decade of mosquito spraying. No one was told to stay indoors, or to bring their pets inside. In the sixties, the mosquito truck was a major event of summer. No computers or iPhones. No video. No air conditioning. So, across America, kids jumped on their bikes—boys, girls, dogs—and rode, right behind the truck, enveloped by the mysterious cloud, in long, festive parades of the type usually reserved for returning astronauts and dead presidents.
What effects has it had on these children of the 60s, now in their fifties and sixties? Here are some responses. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent. None of these people are innocent.
“I did not ride along with that mysterious truck spewing out white fog. I knew it was a government conspiracy to gas all of us at once.” -Jim S.
“I think that’s why I can’t do math today.” -Jim M.
“I really miss it…it was as exciting as hearing the Mr. Softie truck!” -Mike N.
“All the neighborhood kids peddled Schwinn stingrays and followed the truck all around the neighborhood. Like a Spielberg movie that wasn’t EPA approved.” -Gene M.
“How about the spraying at the drive in? 1000 People at one time!” -Fran B.
Mosquito spraying was halted in the late 1960s, partly because the dangers of DDT were being discovered, but mostly because the frequent sprayings led to the evolution of resistant mosquitoes. In other words, they adapted to it and became immune. There is no available data as to the effect of spraying on 60s kids, but obviously they’ve adapted, too.
What use is it to have a yard if you can’t use it ? As far as St Louis Co goes. It is hit and miss. This is why Richmond Heights does their own. The County charges reather it is done or not. So much for BIG government again. Who up at 2 am to see if they are doing it? Let the first case of Zika show up and there will be storming City Hall asking ” why are you not spraying” ? If you like Mosquitoes, why don’t you move to Florida? And yes the mishap in SC was a bad, very bad outcome, but I just hope they learned from it. I have talked to a few people who spray for RH and was told you can sign up for no spray and as they go by your house, they turn the spray off. Like others my age (69) I was behind the spray trucks in the 50 & 60. I am still here with my family and grandkids. Let’s see if we can get Global Warming to kill them!! It kill everything else. Just watch ABC,CNN, HLN, CBS, NBC, MSMBC, PBS, are read the Post-Disgrace and so on. Grow up, you are all going to die of something. If you wish to speed it up, just go into the city of St. Louis on a Friday night ! If you are not ready to go now ‘ Just close your windows on Wednesday night ‘ good luck if the County comes by.
We have so many families in Maplewood that never clean their gutters. Some can’t do it and other just don’t. We have neighbors that bought their homes and treat them like rental property. They never do anything to improve or keep their property up. One neighbor bought their home forty years ago, never cleaned a gutter, window or swept a porch in forty years. Actually never have gone in their backyard to check anything. Just back and forth to the car. The yard is a mess, but they do have the grass cut three or four times during the summer. Never rake leaves that are thick around their home, along with trees growing up around their foundation. They shouldn’t be homeowners, but renters somewhere else, can’t imagine what the inside looks like.
The research that I have done indicates that larvacide treatments in water based breeding areas is relatively safe and effective with minimal side effects. Adulticide spraying is not only marginally effective, the side effects are devastating for the environment. Personally, I feel like the the advantages don’t justify the damage it creates. There are too many websites explaining both sides of the argument to link them here, but I encourage citizens to do research and let their elected officials hear their opinion.
Since Maplewood contracts with St. Louis County Vector Control for spraying, you can go on their website and call the hotline to determine when spraying will be done (on Thursdays) so you can take steps to protect your family, pets and home from the harmful effects of mosquito fogging.
People (like Monsanto-sponsored scientists) will keep playing with Mother Nature until only a few of us are left to hunt and gather…as in the good ‘ol days.
‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes http://wapo.st/2ceITGu